novelhk Chapter 696 You, go and capture Tang Sanzang and his disciples! No, go and capture...
Chapter 696 You, go and capture Tang Sanzang and his disciples! No, go and capture...
The Nets' starting two big men, whether it's Krstic or Yao Ming, are both incredibly fast!
Yao Ming does appear more agile because he hasn't gained excessive weight, but that depends on who you're comparing him to!
Compared to a 37-year-old Shaquille O'Neal or other heavyweight centers, you're more agile.
Can he be compared to players like Lin Tian, Xiao Si, and Oku?
He's still as slow as a tortoise!
As for Krstic? His speed is only slower than Yao Ming's!
When these two slow-moving guys faced Lin Tian's endless pick-and-roll mismatches and isolation plays, they really couldn't give a single response.
Their only hope is that Bi Bi can try his best to figure out a way to squeeze past the cover every time and keep up with Lin Tian without having to switch roles.
Bibby, with his extensive experience, is capable of squeezing through screens. He can anticipate when the opponent's big men will move forward, make judgments in advance, and provide the correct defensive response.
But the problem is, the person standing in front of him isn't some Kidd, and it's not like Bibby can stop Lin Tian just by squeezing through the cover!
Squeezing through the cover is just the beginning!
Next, Lin Tian could call for another screen, turn around on the spot and do another one with Okur and Stoudemire on the spot, or he could launch a strong attack directly against Bibby!
In short, Lin Tian has plenty of ideas, and his arsenal has so many weapons that he can't possibly use them all!
Faced with Lin Tian's rampage on the court, completely breaking through the team's overall defense with a single screen, Frank was at a loss for what to do. He didn't know how to deal with Lin Tian.
If we absolutely have to make him think of a solution?
He could only call Bibby over and whisper to him from the other side, "Go for it, Mike! I believe in you!"
Well, verbal encouragement is the best he can think of.
Otherwise, how could he defend against it? If Frank knew how to defend against it, if he could find Lin Tian's weaknesses to target, he wouldn't be standing here dumbfounded.
He killed Lin Tian a long time ago!
Bibi had some rather mysterious feelings about the encouragement from the head coach, teammates, and others.
He felt like he was Benboerba, ordered by the king: "You, go and capture Tang Sanzang and his disciples! As long as Tang Sanzang is alive, the lives of the other three are irrelevant."
Hmm... Bibi probably hasn't read Journey to the West.
So he must be Orc A, who was ordered by Sauron: You, go and take down Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimlich, and bring back the One Ring. Their lives are irrelevant. Easy, right?
Easy? You think it's easy? You're kidding me!
In short, Bibi was in considerable pain!
He couldn't resist, but everyone expected him to complete the resistance.
In order to squeeze past that damn screen, Bibby not only had to expend a huge amount of physical energy, but also had to commit fouls!
In just 7 minutes of the first quarter, he was called for fouls twice by the referee for making too big a move when squeezing through screens!
Even after committing two fouls and having to leave the game early, Bibby still couldn't contain Lin Tian at all.
In those 7 minutes, Lin Tian not only made 5 of 7 shots and 2 of 3 three-pointers for 12 points, but also delivered 4 assists, finding Stoudemire and Okur to score easily for them.
No matter how the Nets defend, Lin Tian can easily break through!
He easily broke through the Nets' defense!
In other words, the Nets were in excellent form at the start of the game, with Yao Ming and Kostic scoring consistently, and Carter also making several breakthroughs to drive into the paint and score for the team.
So the Nets weren't falling too far behind.
As the game progressed, the Nets clearly accepted the fact that they couldn't defend Lin Tian's pick-and-roll and outside shooting, and they stopped trying to defend him in that area.
Tighten up! The whole team tightens their defense!
They began to focus on defending cuts and drives to the basket, and the whole team started to collapse, paying attention to positioning and protecting the rebounds.
As for Lin Tian and Okur's three-point shooting, they could only accept their fate.
I bet you won't keep scoring tonight!
As long as you don't score, I can reliably launch another attack by protecting the rebound!
Meanwhile, the Nets also increased their offense and rebounding under the basket. With Yao Ming and Krstic on the court, plus the impact of Prince and Carter, they really fought for a lot of offensive rebounds!
Kenny analyzed, "The Nets improved their competitiveness tonight in a way that none of us expected! They abandoned defense against fast breaks and instead of trying to shut down the Knicks' first pass and fast breaks, they chose to attack the boards."
"They used their height advantage to successfully keep the score close! I think we all underestimated Coach Frank; he's got real talent!"
Barkley added, "But the Nets' style of play also carries a significant risk! Their speed is already a disadvantage, and now they're relentlessly attacking the offensive boards without retreating. If the Knicks find a way to counter this, they could easily be overwhelmed!"
"But the Nets didn't have a choice, did they? They clearly couldn't defend Lin's pick-and-roll at all. Since they couldn't contain the opponent's advantage, they had to find a way to play to their own!"
The game on the court was progressing rapidly, and the Nets' strategy tonight was, undeniably, quite successful!
This successful strategy allowed them to trail the Knicks by only 5 points with 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter!
Even though Lin Tian was in superb form tonight, achieving a triple-double with 41 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds; even though Okur made 3 of 4 three-pointers; even though Stoudemire had already broken through the Nets' defense with his impact after the pick-and-roll and scored 22 points!
But the Nets held on!
They relied on grabbing 59 rebounds that night, outscoring the Knicks by a whopping 24!
They grabbed 21 offensive rebounds alone, outrebounding the Knicks by 14!
Dominating the boards gave the Nets a glimmer of hope for victory in the final four minutes of the game.
At this point in the game, Yao Ming has played 40 minutes and achieved a double-double of 23 points and 19 rebounds, while his partner Kostic has also contributed 11 points and 15 rebounds!
The 34 rebounds that these two players combined for were the Nets' biggest secret weapon in keeping the game suspenseful!
"Brother Lin, haven't you heard this saying? The one who controls the rebounds controls the game!" Yao Ming, panting, looked at Lin Tian and started trash-talking him.
The timeout has just ended, and both sides have returned to the court. However, judging from Yao Ming's appearance, one timeout is clearly not enough to help him recover his strength.
He needs at least three to catch his breath.
"You think I haven't seen Slam Dunk? Patrick Ewing's famous quote!" Lin Tian scoffed. "But did Ewing ever tell you that when you reach your physical limit, you can't grab any rebound?"
"I think you'd better go and rest for a while, otherwise you might not even be able to stand up for the next game."
"Then don't get up! Fight this game, and give up on the next one if you want!" Yao Ming was as tough as ever, completely unaffected by Lin Tian's trash talk.
Lin Tian snorted and said, "Then come on! Let me see just how tough your rebounds really are!"
Just then, the referee blew the whistle to continue the game. Anthony inbounded the ball from the sideline, and Bibby stood directly inside the three-point line, almost stepping on the three-point line to defend Lin Tian.
The Nets' strategy remains unchanged: block the basket and allow three-pointers!
They give Lin Tian a chance to shoot. If you can make 3-4 shots in a row and kill us, then we'll accept it!
Anyway, for our Nets team, tonight we'll just take it slow, scoring two points at a time!
When Lin Tian got the basketball, the fans in the arena started roaring and cheering for the team again. This time, Lin Tian didn't call for a screen, but instead asked everyone to spread out for him.
And this time he didn't immediately pull up for a three-pointer.
You guys want to block the basket, huh? Well then I'll charge to the basket!
We're targeting the area where your defense is most concentrated!
I'll crush you!
To be honest, whether Lin Tian's choice was correct is definitely debatable!
Normal players play by exploiting their opponent's weaknesses. If you're strong under the basket, I'll shoot; if you're short, I'll attack; if you're slow, I'll play transition offense; if your zone defense is strong, I'll play facilitator offense; if your man-to-man defense is excellent, I'll set endless screens.
Countering each move, finding weaknesses, and relentlessly attacking them – this is the correct and common tactic.
Now, Lin Tian is about to directly attack his opponent's strongest point!
With a change of direction and a quick hip twist, Lin Tian blew past Bibby and rushed towards the inside. As he reached the edge of the three-second zone, Prince and Carter quickly arrived to help defend, blocking Lin Tian's path from the left and right.
Lin Tian immediately gathered the ball and raised it, making a feint to try and fool the two men. However, these two men knew Lin Tian very well and had watched countless videos of his games. So, instead of jumping to block the shot, they raised their arms high to continue blocking Lin Tian's shooting angle.
Seeing that the two were not falling for the trap, and Bibby had already rushed over from behind, Lin Tian was not in a hurry at all, and was not nervous at all. Instead, he just stood on the ground and smashed the basketball against the backboard.
Yes, the backboard!
Carter and Prince were stunned for a moment. When they turned to look at the rebound, Lin Tian had already passed between them and jumped up towards the rebounding basketball.
"Yao! Watch out!" Carter yelled, trying to warn Yao, but it was too late!
Lin Tian's speed and explosive speed were astonishing. Yao Ming didn't even have time to figure out what Carter was saying before he felt a huge force coming from behind!
Lin Tian made a powerful leap, snatched the rebound from Yao Ming's head, and then, over Yao Ming, used his strength to send the ball back along the same path with one hand!
And because he was afraid of getting lost with the basketball, Lin Tian also showed his gentlemanly manners.
He carried the basketball all the way to his doorstep!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian completed a self-alley-oop dunk over Yao Ming!
With one shot, he took down four Nets defenders in a row!
A true one against four!
"Rebound, Yao! Watch out for rebounds, watch your positioning! You can't keep going like this!"
The person reminding Yao Ming to be careful was certainly not Carter or Bibby.
It was Lin Tian.
After dunking, this guy looked at Yao Ming provocatively, with an attitude of "what can you do about it?"
"Brother Lin is really asking for a beating." Yao muttered helplessly. When he was teammates with Lin Tian, it was really fun, but every time he faced him, he really wanted to punch him!
It just goes to show that humans are full of contradictions!
As expected, the Nets' offense, struggling with their shooting tonight, once again opted for a strong drive to the basket!
Carter accelerated past Anthony and drove straight to the basket! Although Carter's forced floater missed because there were too many players gathered under the basket from both sides.
But for Carter, it wasn't about whether this shot had to go in!
If it goes in, great; if it doesn't, Yao Ming and Kostic will be there to grab the rebound!
"Snapped!"
Just as Carter was observing the situation from the perimeter, wondering whether he should go in and charge in or quickly get back on defense, there was a sudden, crisp sound. The basketball was slapped away from the inside by a large hand and flew out towards the outside!
Oku hit him!
The basketball flew straight towards the top of the arc, and Lin Tian was obviously prepared. He spotted the landing point of the basketball, rushed towards that direction at high speed, grabbed the basketball, and sprinted towards the frontcourt!
If Lin gets the ball in this position and you can't stop him immediately, then given Lin Tian's fast break ability and speed, his opponent can only pray.
Let's hope Lin Tian will choose to shoot a three-pointer at this moment, but miss.
Apart from that, there's simply no way to stop his fast break!
This guy's driving and finishing abilities are just too strong!
Incredibly strong!
"boom!"
A few seconds later, just as Carter and Prince were sprinting at full speed and had only just reached their own three-point line, Lin Tian had already completed a powerful dunk, smashing the ball into the basket with one hand!
We simply can't catch up!
Keep going! Keep grabbing rebounds!
After scoring 4 points in a row after the timeout, Lin Tian was now completely bloodthirsty. He bared his teeth and glared fiercely at Carter Bibby and the others, looking like he was ready to kill them.
Bibby breathed a long sigh of relief. After only two rounds, the gap between the two sides had reached 9 points!
Just 30 seconds ago, the difference between the two sides was only 5 points.
too fast!
Bibi couldn't help but exclaim: When Lin Tian went all out, his ability and speed in ranking up were just too fast!
The Nets' offense once again deployed all five players, giving Yao Ming as much space as possible to take one-on-one shots.
Yao Ming leaned against Okur behind him, testing the resistance behind him. Then, as Yao Ming launched his attack, the Knicks double-teamed him!
Barnes chose a moment that made Yao Ming very uncomfortable by suddenly contracting his defense and blocking Yao Ming's position.
Yao Ming reacted quickly, and after nearly making a mistake on the first attempt, he immediately passed the ball to Prince, who had been left out on the outside.
Prince received the ball and, without hesitation, launched a three-pointer!
"Bang!"
Perhaps because he had spent too much time and effort battling in the paint, Prince's three-point attempt bounced off the rim again.
Yao Ming immediately turned around and engaged in a physical battle with Okur, trying to grab the rebound.
However, his physical condition had declined so drastically that he was now almost completely exhausted, and he was unable to gain the upper hand in the process of positioning himself.
Okur didn't even try to grab the rebound; he knew it was too risky!
He chose the exact same method as before, throwing another punch that slammed heavily onto the basketball, sending it flying out of the three-point line!
If I can't have it, none of you can have it either!
This is the tactic that Nelson set up during the timeout!
Whether it's Stoudemire or Okur, since you can't beat them, then don't bother trying!
We're not going to fight anymore!
Throw the ball out to the perimeter! Whoever gets it keeps it!
At the very least, with Lin Tian on the perimeter, whose reaction time and speed are ridiculously fast, the Knicks have a chance to steal the ball from the perimeter when their teammates are shooting wildly!
For example, this time, the basketball was originally closer to Bibby, but Lin Tian arrived at the position faster and simultaneously backed down, immediately blocking Bibby completely behind him.
Complete physical bullying!
Bibby, who was originally known for his strength and being a "little tank," could barely see the ball after Lin Tian's attack, let alone compete with Lin Tian for the rebound!
He simply couldn't win!
After securing a good position, Lin Tian grabbed the basketball and quickly turned around! During the turn, he also gave Bibby a push from behind, causing the guy to lose his balance and fall to the floor.
As for Lin Tian himself, he dribbled and accelerated once again, sprinting towards the frontcourt!
This time, Lin Tian was delayed by 1-2 seconds due to his confrontation with Bibby, so Prince and Carter had already returned to defense. Carter was defending with his foot on the free throw line, waiting for Lin Tian's attack, while Prince retreated directly to the basket to prepare to guard the last line of defense.
But Lin Tian said: You two run very fast, that's not easy.
But it's useless against Master Lin!
Two steps beyond the three-point line, Lin Tian suddenly stopped, then steadied himself slightly before launching another long-range three-pointer!
Another signature three-pointer from behind!
Once again, the basketball swished through the net!
"Whoosh!"
12 points!
In less than a minute, Lin Tian scored three goals in a row, single-handedly launching a 7-0 offensive surge!
The Nets, left with no other option, had to call a timeout.
"Old Nelson is really decisive, and he really dares to take a gamble!" Kenny quickly praised Old Nelson at this moment: "Look at those two rebounds by the Knicks, it's obviously Old Nelson's doing!"
"If we can't win the fight, we'll just give up! We'll just shoot the ball outwards and gamble on our own players getting it!"
"This shows absolute trust in his players! He believes his players can reach the first point where the ball bounces and then catch it!"
"He also believes that as long as Lin Tian can get the ball, with Yao Ming and Krstic both in the paint, Lin will definitely be able to complete a fast break!"
"And clearly, Don Nelson's gamble paid off! His risk-taking gave the team a 12-point lead!"
Barkley said, "Now, the question goes back to the Nets. With three minutes left, what are they going to do? Keep attacking the basket and scoring two points at a time? Honestly, with a 12-point deficit, they probably won't have enough time to grind it out!"
"But playing fast breaks and relying on three-pointers? Even with Carter and Bibby, that's really not their forte, nor is it the right way for them to play!"
"If it were me, I'd take Krstic out and bring on Harrington," Kenny added. "At this point, we have to go all out on firepower! Otherwise, even if every Nets player can score in the paint..."
"They can't stop Lin, and they can't catch up quickly!"
"Ultimately, it was Lin's consecutive 7 points that were too tough and too crucial!"
"The Nets, who dominated the game with their height advantage and grabbed nearly 60 rebounds, actually lost in the final minutes because of rebounding!"
"Lin grabbed an offensive rebound, and because I was fighting for the rebound myself, I couldn't retreat quickly enough, allowing Lin to score two fast breaks in a row." (End of Chapter)